


Love Potion No 1

by CardboarianNights



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst Train, Childhood Friends to Lovers, I tagged McHanzo but it ends in McReyes, M/M, Magic AU, Making shit up about Love Potions, No Hanzo is not a bad spouse, Please do not read if you want end-game mchanzo, Reyes is not manipulative, Sorcerers Au, and make VERY hard choices, break up fic, it's not noncon drug use, people trying to figure out their feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 19:06:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8296796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CardboarianNights/pseuds/CardboarianNights
Summary: Jesse McCree and Gabriel Reyes have been friends since they were in diapers and all it took to fuck that up was one love potion Gabe made in Magic College. Ten years later Gabriel still tries to suppress his feelings for Jesse after he got happily married and still make business trips to his store to stock up for his potion-crafting needs.An AU where love potions can only reveal mutually held feelings of both the crafter and the recipient. Not McHanzo-friendly.





	

Gabriel frowns as he walks into the potions shop after parking his car out from of the small shop stuffed between major mundane human retailers in a strip mall outlet outside of Santa Fe. The shop itself is disguised as a ethnic food store to deter the mundies from stepping foot in there since the surrounding neighborhood was primarily white. That’s what happens when a company sets up a cheap fiber network in the middle of nowhere and New Mexico is offering huge tax cuts to draw the tech companies in; the white people come in by the dozens. Gabriel wears a nice suit and drives a moderately priced car when he goes out to these places to gather ingredients for his work. His skin color never helped him before so he settled for looking like he was going to a wedding every time he went out of the area he lived in. 

Gabe grabbed a shopping basket and bewitched it with some floation dust so it would follow him around the store as he walked past the small isles lined with mexican groceries to the back. The cashier paid no mind to him since he was a regular as he continued to walk with the basket behind him before picking up a red corded phone on the wall in front of the bathroom. He punched in the password and hung up the phone as the dimension shifted around him, doing away with the tiny ethnic store and putting him in the middle of a huge cabin in the forest. The basket transformed into a huge sack filled with a multitude of smaller sacks that would fit his needs as he started walking about the premises.

“Welcome to McCree’s, Partner!” A friendly drawl greeted him from nowhere and everywhere at once. Gabriel tucked his hands into his pocket as he waited for his ‘fellow’ sorcerer walk over to him from where ever he was and turned around as he heard a set of spurs on the wood floor come to a halt behind him. The shaggy-haired brunette tipped his hat to him politely as his other hand rested on his belt. “Well now! Ain’t this a pleasant surprise!” He grinned happily. “My favorite customer has come back to me once again!”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and pulled out his smartphone to pull up his list. McCree did the same, drawing it from the opposite holster on his belt where he kept his Peace Maker and they tapped their phones together so he could receive Gabriel’s list. The cowboy tipped his hat up as he scrolled down his smart phone with an impressed whistle at the list’s length along with the ingredients he needed. “This is longer than your last one, Partner! Brewin’ up something special for a client?” He asked with an eager smile.

“Things change, McCree. My clientele and their needs are different than the previous batch as the ethnic major changes in my area.” Gabriel spoke as they walked together, Jesse and him both casting spells left and right to gather fresh ingredients out of their jars and into sacks or smaller jars in the shopping sack. Jesse was checking things off on the phone as he nodded his head, the air above them filled with levitating ingredients ready to get packed up for a trip into the shopping sack. 

“Lot o’ this stuff seems like you’re making anti-anxiety draughts and vigorous potions. Your area got a lot of anti-sleepers too now?” Jesse asked as he looked up from his phone, his finger checking off everything perfectly when it went into the bag and talked to Gabriel. “I haven’t sold you stuff for love potions in what has to be a decade now.”

“They don’t work.” Gabriel huffed as he paused the assembly line to levitate a jar of frankenberries towards him and he came to a stop as he tossed the bottle to McCree. “Expired.” 

McCree caught it with a knowing smile on his lips and a quirk in his brow before looking over his shoulder. “Hanzo! Ya missed one!” He tossed the bottle high in the air where a small blue dragon the size of a ferret darted up from one of the isles to grab it as it fell. The blue dragon let out a squeak before darting back to the isle it came from and the two of them resumed the assembly line as they walked isle by isle. “That’s from experience, ain’t it?” Jesse grinned as he brought a hand up to scratch at his beard.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Jesse, a wizard his own age and prestige, before huffing in disgust. “Says the one that almost got us kicked out of college for making said potion.”

“Hey, now! It was totally worth at least tryin’! Wasn’t that you creed anyways back when we were students, Gabe?” He chuckled fondly as he put an arm over Gabriel’s shoulder as they continued to walk and casually cast spells to keep filling up the list. The good would be teleported to Gabriel’s cottage anyways when he finished buying them so it wasn’t like he would be carrying all one hundred plus ingredients back to his car.

“You were the idiot who tried the potion anyways!” Gabriel huffed, shoving the arm off of his shoulder as the cowboy happily complied with removing his persons from Gabriel.

“Jesse! Why are you feeling up our customers again?” Came a sharp accented voice from further down the aisle as Hanzo Shimada shot McCree an accusatory glare. There were two dragons hovering around the asian sorcerer and a sack beside him on the floor which Gabe guessed was for throwing out expired goods from the rough shape it was in. 

“Aww. C’mon, Darlin’! This is Gabe! You know Gabe!” Jesse chuckled as he gestured to the sharply dressed gentleman next to him fondly. “We’ve been together since we were attending mundy preschool?”

Hanzo’s glare turned to that of a look of pity as he looked at Gabriel. “I’m so sorry.” He apologized sincerely.

“You’re the one married to him.” Gabriel smirked as he shrugged his shoulders, drawing a small smile from Hanzo in return.

Jesse put a hand to his chest like he’d been shot and he stumbled his way over to a now cautiously alert Hanzo before the cowboy draped his arms around the shoulders of his husband. “Hanzo! Ya’ll both wound me! Right through my caring heart!” He wept in exaggeration before Hanzo elbowed him in the stomach and Jesse fell to his knees clutching his stomach.

“Your friend is in the process of filling the order you should be assisting him with, Fool.” He spoke sharply as he went back to picking up the jars from the shelves to check their contents for freshness. “Perhaps you should be more grateful that he puts up with your harassment and helps keep our store open rather than interrupt me while I work.”

Gabriel smirked at Jesse being firmly put into his place as the cowboy rose to his feet with a huge pout on his face. Hanzo spoke harshly but only when Jesse needed to focus on a task; Gabe filled a similar role in their early years up until they graduated from the magic college. If the whole love potion mess never happened it might have been him helping Jesse stocking the shelves than the blue kimono-wearing gentleman with the two dragon familiars. How the hell does Hanzo tolerate living with Jesse twenty-four seven? Even Gabe had to take weekends off during college to go back home or stay in a hotel when he needed to have his space and he was his damn room mate.

Rather than ponder the ‘what-ifs’, Gabriel and Jesse resumed walking together down the aisles, and moved past Hanzo. Gabe bowed his head slightly to regard the sorcerer kindly and received a small smile and a nod in return. Hanzo was always pleasant around Gabriel if he came by when Jesse was out, they never talked much but the sorcerer would always tell him how business was doing and Jesse’s latest antics. There was no bad blood between them even when Hanzo and Jesse were dating. Gabe went as Jesse’s best man for their wedding only because Jesse wouldn’t stop harassing him about it and still Hanzo didn’t hold it against him. Pushing his focus out of his mind and back into whatever Jesse was talking about.

“So, didja know that Jack Morrison became a grand enchanter in England?” Jesse finally asked and Gabriel came to a halt. Jesse must have heard Gabriel stop because he turned to face him with a look of concern. “You alright, Gabe?”

“I’m just surprised. Jack never mentioned anything about that in our emails.”

Jesse frowned and took his hat off to hold to his chest as he walked back over to Gabe. “Yeah. It happened about two months ago, I think?” He brought a hand up to run it through his brown hair to smooth it out; a nervous tick of Jesse’s that he had since they were practically in diapers. “Hard to believe you two never-” Jesse paused as he looked up at Gabe and quickly changed topics. “Yep! He’s livin’ it up in England with those fancy tea sucking vampires!” He chuckled as he turned to pop his hat back on. 

Gabriel sighed and ran a hand through his short locks at Jesse’s sloppy transition but appreciated him dropping THAT topic. Last thing he needed was a reminder of his failures when he was moving forward on his own and doing well. 

“So, what about you, McCree?” Gabriel asked quietly as Jesse walked slowly alongside of him. “I brought a vial if you still need it.”

A vial with a potion for handling nasty spell kickbacks. Sorcerers cannot make potions and tonics for their own consumption unless they feel like dealing with reduced potency from potion-making bias. Being with someone McCree your entire life made him Jesse’s go-to for his own medicinal needs and Gabriel always offered that particular potion for free to him. It was, after all, Gabriel’s own love potion that almost trashed McCree’s life.

“Yeah.” Jesse sighed, ashamed of his reliance on Gabe’s potion and knew full well that Hanzo’s familiars were likely watching them both. Gabriel opened his coat and pulled out a small sack, barely big enough to fit a quarter in it before handing it to Jesse. The cowboy tucked it into his pocket, going to remove the shrink hex that Gabe always put on his sacks to customers and looked up at him with a nervous smile. “You think Hanzo hates me, Gabe?”

“Of course not, McCree.” Gabriel reassured him quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder firmly. “Hanzo will get better at it and you won’t need me to make personal visits anymore.” He removed his hand from Jesse’s shoulder and tucked his hands back in his pockets as he looked at his nervous friend. Jesse looked like he had more to say but Gabriel just turned away and headed over to the last aisle.

He doesn’t need to hear it. Gabriel just needs to reassure Jesse of Hanzo’s feelings towards him and end the conversation there. No one gets hurt this way. No relationships get ruined and most certainly not a steady marriage between two happy gentlemen who deserved each other. Gabriel can’t make Jesse McCree happy. End of story.

Hanzo was at the register when Gabriel approached the counter alone and with his shopping sack completely ready for transfer. Gabriel took out his wallet and transferred the credits to the store’s account with his chip before Hanzo handed it back to him. The sorcerer then pulled out a wand and sent the sack through a teleportation channel to Gabe’s home. Gabriel tucked the chip back into his wallet and politely bowed his head slightly towards Hanzo with Hanzo doing the same in return. Jesse was still absent when Gabe went over to the phone in the hallways behind the counter and picked it to slowly dial in the password. He caught sight of Jesse’s hat as he hung the phone up and the world warped back to that of the tiny ethnic food shop.

Gabriel lifted his hand off the phone and purchased some groceries from the tiny store before heading out to his car to head home.

\--

The old fashioned cauldron bubbled over the hearth in the center of the room as Gabriel was busy working with chemistry tools to get precise measurements for his potions. His home was more of a modern, yet wooden, laboratory than a stereotypical witch’s haunt since he enjoyed dabbling in human sciences as well as formal potion making. He felt that his pursuits in chemistry would lend a hand in helping him as an alchemist rather than rejecting it like some of his peers did. Jesse’s potion was a combination of mundy and magic sciences combined together to allow for maximum potency with little side effects. His ginger tabby, Wrinkles, aided his master by carrying over ingredients in their sacks from the ingredient shelve Gabriel used to keep organized with the old cat’s bed being at the top. Gabe always thought it amusing that the mundy kitten he found outside of the magic college actually did incredibly well as a familiar. 

Gabe’s smart phone rang and Gabe didn’t even lift his head from his work as Wrinkles swiftly glided through the beakers and past dangerous chemical vials with ease to roll over the smartphone on the couch, letting it snap to the belt on the cat before he quickly sprinted back over on the second ring. Gabe leaned down and took the phone off Wrinkles and gave the ginger an affectionate chin scratch as he swiped his phone on with his free hand.

“Yes?”

“Gabe?”

Jack Morrison. Speak of the devil. Wrinkles jumped up into Gabriel’s lap as he reclined back in his chair and let the cat curl up while he ran his fingers through his soft fur.

“Long time no see, Jack.” Gabriel greeted him politely. “Heard you’ve been having fun in England.”

Jack chuckled nervously on the other end of the phone.

“Finally was able to get my dual citizen papers earlier this year and they finally accepted my master’s recommendation letter to get me an interview with the Solarius of England.”

Gabriel whistled at that.

“Bought time they listened to Merlin’s own descendant! Sucks that you had to go through the whole process to get a mundy citizenship though.”

“Their requirements were ridiculous had I not already lived with my master since graduation!” Jack groaned as Gabriel could picture the blonde tearing his hair out on the other side of the phone. “It’s like what our teachers said about the old English blood lines being stuck up inbreds! Professor Regen was not kidding, Gabe!”

Gabriel bursted out laughing at that, almost scarring Wrinkles out of his lap since Gabe was usually quiet when he worked. He could heard Jack genuinely laughing along with him as he readjusted himself in his seat, wiping the tears out of the corner of his eyes. “And now an American is in charge of writing the rules of the road for them, huh? Gotta suck to be them!”

“It certainly brought the naysayers down by a peg or two. They don’t make my work any easier though.” Jack sighed. “The pay and benefits are good though. It’s nice to actually eat real meals for a change and have a soft bed to sleep on.”

“Things have gotten better on my end too since an new tech hub has been set up in Santa Fe. Lot of programmers with lots of problems that need a little magic to fix their problems.” Gabriel smiled as he propped his feet on his work desk. 

“Wait. You still live in Santa Fe?” Jack asked with a bit of concern in his voice.

“House is paid off fully, Jack. I’m not budging an inch off my property when work keeps coming to me to more than help support my financial needs.” Gabriel spoke firmly.

“You’re still seeing Jesse, aren’t you?”

That caused Gabriel’s blood to boil. 

“How many times do I have to tell you that Jesse and I are NOT together, Jack?! The guy is fucking married for fucks sake!”

“You’re still going on about that like the love poti-”

“Shut the fuck up about shit you know nothing about, Morrison.” Gabriel threatened, his fist slamming down hard on his work table, rattling the glass containers violently and scarring Wrinkles out of his lap.

“So, you’re just going to keep acting like this, Gabe?” Jack shot back harshly. “Act like your potion didn’t work and that Jesse McCree does not have feelings for you?!”

Gabriel shot up from his chair, absolutely red in the face as he yelled. “LOVE POTIONS DO NOT WORK!!”

Jack sighed on the other side of the phone and Gabriel felt like crushing it between his fingers.

“They don’t work because someone’s one-sided feelings will always be rejected by someone who does not reciprocate or is not the intended recipient. Basic potion making 101, Gabriel.” Jack spoke and quickly cut off Gabe as he was about to yell at him again. “Your love potion worked, Gabe, because Jesse has ALWAYS had feelings for you. It merely allowed him to confess that one time and that was it. You MADE that potion with him in mind. Stop being such a stubborn shit bag, Gabe.”

“And what do you expect me to do, Jack Morrison?!” Gabe slammed his fist down on his table again in frustration, needing to vent this agony he had been carrying on his shoulders for the longest of times. “If I say something now, Jesse will end his fucking marriage and run back to me! I’m an asshole but I’m not THAT much of an asshole, okay?!”

“You don’t know that, Gabe. It’s been ten years since Jesse confessed to you and he’s been happily married for five.” Jack spoke to Gabriel calmly. “If anything, it will at least give you closure and allow you to move on. You just got lucky that a tech boom happened near you.”

“Fuck you. I won’t ruin a marriage, Jack! I won’t even come close to risking that!”

“Then move, Gabe. Stop hurting yourself and actually move away if you think you’re being a burden on Jesse. You’re not helping either of yourselves by standing in place and waiting for yourself to finally crack.”

Gabe sat back down in his seat, tears rolling down his cheeks. He still loved Jesse McCree. Gabriel Reyes was the worst of the worst. A ghost that was a constant reminder of their failures and words left unspoken between them.

“I’m not moving to England, Jack.”

“I have a few connections stateside that might be able to help you out, Gabe.” Jack reassured him confidently and Gabriel listened to him.

\--

Gabriel moved his house to Maine after spending a month getting things sorted out and remembering how to perform a moving spell with Jack’s assistance. He joined the state’s Magus listing and set up his shop for business. Finding a new potions supplier was easy and oddly painless for Gabriel as he set up an account that allowed him to purchase from his supplier remotely. Attending guild meetings was tedious as fuck but there were plenty of veterans in Maine that welcomed him to their circle with open arms.

Jack sent the ingredients list and formula procedure for Jesse’s potion on Gabriel’s behalf through a third party so Jesse wouldn’t be able to track Gabriel down. Gabe got a new phone number, smartphone and plan through the merchant’s guild that was significantly cheaper than his older one, allowing Gabriel to finally go cold turkey with anything related to Jesse McCree. He was feeling a lot better by not having contact with Jesse, hoping that the persistent cowboy that somehow managed to get his GPA up high enough to get accepted to the magic college Gabe and Jack went to, and hoped he was doing better without him around too.

\--

The biyearly Salem Witch Conference in Salem, Massachusetts, six months later, was where Jack and Gabriel reunited after ten years of not speaking to one another in person. Jack let Gabriel bum a room with him in the better suites Salem had to offer since he was practically rolling in money now, even though most of it went to stocks and his savings accounts. The conference was the biggest gathering of all important folks in the magical world and Jack was there to represent England for the first time. Gabriel was proud of his friend’s achievement, especially being able to take his ass out to the bar to get them both hammered the night before the week-long festivities began. The hangover was so worth it after ten years of resentment between them.

Jack was visibly annoyed when Gabriel spent hours of his time in the auctioning theatre, buying the latest in alchemic gear for almost half the price, much to the annoyance of the rest of the buyers. Gabriel always kept a percentage of his earnings for an account solely to blow it on buying stuff at Salem and all of it was teleported to his home in Maine for free since he lived ‘nearby’. Jack dragged him out of the room after he outbid everyone again on a deluxe cauldron and death threats were starting to be whispered by the grouchy audience.

“It’s not my fault that they’re so cheap that I keep beating them, Jack!” Gabriel huffed as he shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket.

“You’re absolutely right that you have your budgeting priorities straight, Gabriel, but this isn’t an online bidding platform where no one can shank you for being better than everyone else.” 

“Ha!” Gabriel barked at that as Jack and him continued to move through the packed crowds in the convention center. “I’d like to see them try! Been awhile since I’ve had a decent duel.”

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and Gabriel chuckled in amusement to Jack’s second hand embarrassment. The two of them made their way to the showcase hall to see what new toys the old wand and broom companies were making along with advances in alchemic technologies (for Gabriel). It was there, in front of Brokers and Gandles’ company display that Gabriel ran into Hanzo Shimada. Jack was off looking at the brooms and such but Gabriel had no idea that Jesse’s husband was even looking at the display with him until a hand placed itself on his shoulder.

“Oh. Nice to see you here, Mr. Shimada.” Gabriel offered his hand politely to the asian before his hand was promptly slapped away as Hanzo glared at him.

“Where have you BEEN, Gabriel Reyes?!” Hanzo fists balled at his sides as his dragon familiars looked at their master in concern. The crowd around them looked at the two of them before Hanzo grabbed Reyes’ wrist and dragged him through the crowd away from where everyone congregated. Reyes could easily have dropped Hanzo to the floor for the shit he was pulling but that would unfortunately hurt Jesse by extension for hurting his spouse. Hanzo held no such concern as he slammed Gabe’s back into the wall and held him up by the collar. “Start talking. NOW.”

“I moved, alright?! Why the fuck do you care!?” Gabriel spat.  
“I certainly do not care what you do but JESSE does!” Hanzo struck back with equal amounts of fury. “You think that having a messenger deliver the instructions to prepare his potion would not cause him alarm?! Do you care nothing for his pain?!”

“I’m ALWAYS the cause of his pain! I merely took myself out of the equation so all of us could move on!”

“He CANNOT move on, Gabriel Reyes! He is dependant on you for comfort and it is not something I can provide by merely making him his potions!”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Hanzo and easily pulled his hands off his collar as Jack came running over. “Listen! It’s this kind of thinking that will not let Jesse move on. You need to actually support him as his spouse and understand that it will take him a while to get over his dependency on me. You shouldn’t approve of how he clings to me anyways.”

“I don’t! But you know how Jesse thinks! He’ll work as hard as he needs to achieve something and right now his focus is getting you back into his life!”

“He’ll give up eventually. He’s stubborn but he understands there’s a line between us that he cannot cross and he respects that.” Gabriel stated and did his best to keep the aching of his heart inside to keep face.

Hanzo let his hands drop to his sides as a sad smile spread across his lips.

“My potions will never come close to yours. You know his feelings for you are eternal, even if he settle for me.”

“Hanzo!”

A familiar southern accent cut through the white noise of the crowd and Gabriel could only look away as he slammed his fist against the brick wall behind him. Jesse McCree ran over without his usual cowboy gear on and in a simple shirt and jeans as he held his hat on his head. Immediately Gabriel could feel Jesse’s eye go to him after Hanzo acknowledged him and…

“Well. There’s a face I haven’t seen in awhile!” Jesse breathed in relief as he took his hat off and held it to his chest. 

God. This was the worst Salem Convention EVER.

“Um. Jesse. Gabe’s still kind of hung over from drinking last night so he’s not really in the mood to talk.” Jack chuckled as he placed a hand on Jesse’s shoulder.

“He is perfectly capable of speaking for himself, Jack Morrison.” Hanzo interrupted, drawing a confused looking from Jesse as he looked back and forth between them. It hit him after a good moment.

“Oh. I guess I’m makin’ things kind of awkward, ain’t I?” Jesse chuckled as he rand his fingers through his hair to smooth it out. Gabriel gently caught his hand as it went back to run through his hair again and held it in his own. Hanzo visibly tensed at the gesture and Jack took a few steps closer to Hanzo just in case he needed to drag him out of the convention center. 

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you I was leaving, Jesse.” Gabriel apologized, unable to look at Jesse as he spoke. His hardass facade would crumble in an instant if he had to look at him while saying this. “I love you, alright?”

Hanzo stayed in place, unmoving as his eyes were on the floor while Gabriel saw him from the corner of his eyes. He was upset but knew that Gabriel had to make his feelings clear. Gabe could only imagine the thoughts swirling in Hanzo’s head as the man his husband admired for several decades finally told him his feelings. Gabriel hated himself.

“Well, I kind of knew that since the love potion forced me to open my mouth and…” Jesse paused and Gabriel looked at him to see him bring a hand up to cover his eyes as he trembled. “I still love you too, Gabe.” He sniffedly harshly as tears rolled out from under his hands and down his cheeks. “I always had since day one. I’m such a damn fool for ya and I hate it. I hate that I can’t get over you even when I’m the happiest man in the world with Hanzo! It ain’t even a ‘grass is always greener’ thing either and that’s the worst part about all this!”

Hanzo left and Jack followed him out so that he wouldn’t do anything stupid, leaving just Jesse clinging to Gabe’s hoodie and shoving his face into his shoulder as he sobbed. Gabriel held him tightly as he held out as long as he could not to cry after the decades of repressing his feelings for his best friend. The love potion can only confirm feelings from one side to another if the feelings were mutual, never make someone else fall for another. Jesse drank the potion fully knowing his feelings and merely wanted reassurance that Gabriel felt the same way. He was a fucking idiot and he still was.

“You need to tell Hanzo that you still love him, Jesse.” Gabriel spoke weakly as he held tightly in his arms. His body not listening to reason when it came to the cowboy and impulse control. “Just tell him it’s all over and that you were lying.”

“I do that and we’re back to square fuckin’ one, Gabe!” Jesse yelled as he lifted his face off of Gabe’s chest. “I ain’t gonna let guilt rob me of someone I wanted my whole life when he finally says he loves me, alright?!”

Gabriel glared at him for that and pushed him off him. “How can you say that when you have a husband who loves you unconditionally and WANTS to help you through your problems?! You know how I feel so acknowledge it and move on, you fucking dipshit!”

“So I’m suppose to let you walk out of this?! Even if it’s what both of us want?!” Jesse shot back as he jabbed a finger to Gabe’s chest. 

“You got a HUSBAND, Jesse McCree! What part of ‘we can’t be together’ do you not understand?! Hanzo will not share you with another man and neither would I if you were mine! There’s no situation where you can have us both so apologize to him and get over it!” Gabriel swatted the finger away.

“How do I even START to get over a person like you, Gabe?! We ain’t even kissed or held hands but you’re the fuckin’ world to me! I pushed myself the hardest I ever did in school to stay with you in college! I opened a store cause I knew you would need a supplier when we got out of school! I sure as hell mean something to you, Gabriel Reyes, and I ain’t letting you storm off again like we did during our senior year!”

“You’re OBSESSED, Jesse McCree! Don’t you get it?! This isn’t healthy!”

Now Jesse was furious.

“So, a slacker with no future put his all into sticking with his friends and you imply I’m mentally ill!? I fuckin’ married someone else, didn’t even fucking pursue you for ten goddamn years and you call me ‘obsessed’?! Don’t go boxing me up like that so it makes it easier to toss my feelins aside so you can take the fall for us, Gabe! I’ve HAD IT with you and your shitty ideas of deciding things for people!”

Security was coming in to break them up from their shouting match in the corner of the convention center but Jesse threw his hands up and left. Gabriel brushed the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes away before shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket and leaving the convention center. He needed some quiet time to himself and the hotel room would be the perfect place to do so.

\--

Jack came back to the room with takeout as Gabriel woke up from his nap. Jack stayed with Hanzo the entire afternoon and walked him back to his hotel room before coming back. Everything was a mess and a half but Gabe was too emotionally drained to even think at this point. Gabe had a plan and it worked like using a rusty saw to amputate a leg except his leg was his fucking heart. Jesse had a point that Gabe had no problem when it came to taking the responsibility of out Jesse’s hand and letting himself shoulder the consequences. He just kind of hoped Jesse would understand why he did it.  
“You okay, Gabe?” Jack asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to him.

“No.”

“I think Hanzo will try to fix things with Jesse but obviously I didn’t stay to hear the end of your conversation.”

“Jesse said he was tried of me deciding things for him and stomped away.” Gabe spoke flatly.

Jack frowned at that. “That doesn’t sound very conclusive at all.”

“It’s better for him to just fucking drop the whole thing and let all of us heal.” 

“Pretty sure you both tried doing that ten years ago only without talking it through.”

“You’re not helpful whatsoever, Jack.” Gabriel huffed in annoyance.

“I honestly wish I could help you out more, Gabe. You’re doing everything you can and now it’s up to Jesse to either finally lay down his Gabriel flag or fuck things up spectacularly.” Jack sighed.

It really could go one way or the other with Jesse. That’s what Gabe hated about this whole situation. Hurting a good man like Hanzo on top of that? Even worse.

\--

Gabe and Jack caught sight of Jesse and Hanzo moving about the convention center from time to time, Gabriel noting that Jesse seemed to be avoiding him rather than the other way around. It hurt badly to be ignored by the bright eyed cowboy but it was a loss he was willing to take for Jesse to keep his current happiness. Gabriel had nothing to offer to Jesse that Hanzo didn’t already provide to him and that was that in Gabe’s mind. No more questioning himself or fantasizing the ‘what could bes’ anymore. The pining had to stop and it had to stop with him.

\--

The conference ended and Gabriel said his goodbyes to Jack before he boarded his plane back to England. Gabriel was leaving the airport to head back to the parking lot when he ran into an exhausted-looking McCree having a smoke with his suitcase behind him. Gabriel resisted ever fiber of his being to make eye contact with him and walked on by, a bit surprised that the cowboy didn’t even notice him. Gabe really did sink his last hope with that conversation with Jesse and now he was going back to Santa Fe.

Or he SHOULD be if that fucking suitcase rolling a few feet away from Gabriel wa- God-fucking-damnit! It WAS Jesse McCree following him to the parking lot like a kicked puppy!  
Gabe turned and Jesse came to a halt a good three feet from him. “Don’t you have a plane to catch?” He asked rather coldly.

“Hanzo and I are separating for a bit. I need a place to stay.”

Gabe narrowed his eyes. “Like hell you are, yo-”

“Gabe. Please.” Jesse pleaded with all the fight from a few days ago completely drained out of him, the dark welts under his eyes making it clear that Jesse hadn’t slept for a while. 

Gabriel frown and sighed deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Fine.”

\--

Jesse pretty much slept the entire trip back to Maine, too exhausted to talk and that was rather concerning considering it was McCree. His hat rest on Jesse’s lap as Gabe begrudgingly played country music quietly on the radio while the cowboy slept. Jesse hadn’t spoken a peep until they pulled up to Gabriel’s house in the woods by a lake and he looked at it in awe as Gabe unloaded their luggage out of the back of the car.

“With the way you dressed in the shop I’d never guess ya be a woodsman-type, Gabe.” Jesse chuckled as he came over to grab his suitcase when Gabriel closed the trunk.

“People love the stories of the witches living out in the woods, McCree. You’d be surprised how many drop-ins I get.” Gabriel spoke as he carried his luggage into the house after opening it with a spell plus his key. Wrinkles was waiting for him at the door, purring happily as he looked up at his owner and followed him into the living room where Gabe threw his bags down onto the couch. The ginger then hopped up onto the couch and let Gabriel give him some lovings after a week of being master of the house. “Jesse. You remember, Wrinkles, right?”

Jesse closed the door behind him and walked into the cabin with an impressed whistle before spotting the cat. He quickly set his stuff down and cooed happily at the eleven year old cat that chirped at him in excitement. “Wrinkies! The best mouser in all of Texas!” Wrinkles lunged into Jesse’s arms and was purring like a Ferrari as the brunette smooched him affectionately. “You actually kept him, Gabe?!”

Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the couch as he nodded his head. “He’s my familiar. One hundred percent certified too.”

Jesse was beaming with pride as he held up the ginger blew raspberries into his soft belly like he did when Wrinkles was a kitten. Wrinkles used Jesse’s face to springboard out of his hands and back on the couch, looking back at Jesse in annoyance.

“Yeah. He still hates that.” Gabe chuckled as Jesse healed the claw marks on his face with a quick spell. The cowboy pouted at the ginger cat that was still purring in his general direction, unable to hide how happy it was to see McCree even if he was being an annoyance. Like owner like familiar, Gabriel guessed.

“Wrinkies is such an ingrate. I’m the one that saved him and his siblings from a slow cardboard box-fueled death.” 

“Jesus christ, Jesse McCree.” Gabriel chuckled as he shook his head. “He’s not your fucking son.”

Jesse walked over to the couch once more, a lot more calm as he held out his arms to Wrinkles once more and the ginger jumped back into his arms for pets while Jesse walked over to a smirking Gabriel. The cowboy huffed in annoyance at Gabe’s smugness and elbowed him hard as he walked past him further into the laboratory. McCree couldn’t keep the frown on his face for long as he looked around the spacious room to see how awesome Gabe’s set up was, especially after Wrinkles incorporated the new additions into the set up. Familiars were really something else when they were officially recognized by the magic foundation.

“Nice! Nice! This setup is much better than the one the professor had in college!” Jesse spoke as he continued to stroke the ginger’s head that was nuzzled up under his chin. He approached the work bench and whistled at the chemistry sets Gabriel had set up across the table that almost stretched across the whole house. “Pretty sure Professor Aoba would be pissed if he saw you working with machines but I’d figure your methods are a lot more advanced than his now.”

Gabriel smiled as he walked over to Jesse and took a seat in his chair beside him. “Every methodology we were taught in college has merits that is worth incorporating into my daily work flow for alchemy and potion making, Jesse. Professor Aoba was more interested in making sure we learned that above all we strived for end results that minimized risk and maximize positive results. He would agree, as much as he would hate to admit it, that there is promise in incorporating mundy sciences into our workflow to achieve that end result.”

“I guess that’s why ya constantly bumped heads with the professor in class with yer questions but he would always want yer opinion on certain new methodologies with the other professors when class was over.”

“It’s important that potions and tonics continue to keep pace with modern medicine if we seek to compete with mundy pharmacy companies for clients, McCree. Even if it means having to use the weapons of our enemies to stay on even ground with them.” Gabriel spoke as he slid his laptop over to the edge of the table and started checking his emails to compile requests for refills from his current clients and seeing if new ones were interested in genuinely meeting with him. Jesse leaned over Gabriel’s shoulder as he watched him work, Wrinkles hopping out of his arms with ease to wait on standby next to Gabe’s computer.

“I get that it’s important to use technology as a tool to better help us; Hell, I use it to assist me with tracking down goods for the shop when I go out on the old broom. Before ya can scold me, I DO use my cloaking cape when I go out on it, alright!” Jesse quickly added as Gabriel turned to look at him suspiciously. “I grow a majority of my stock out back of the shop. Not that the windows would imply that.”

“Ah. Been using mirror cloaks on the windows to give the impression of the shop being in the middle of the forest?”

“Yeah! Kind of like ya always dropping yer house in the middle of nowhere in order to create that air of mystery like the witches of old used to do!” McCree smiled as he put his hands on his hips. “Gotta keep up to expectations, right?” Jesse finger gunned at Gabe, earning a smirk from his friend before he turned back to his computer to work.

“Minus the fact that you dress up like a cowboy, right?”

“Hey! Professor Traynor in economics said that cowboys had a flair of fantasy around them too, Partner!” Jesse huffed. “She encouraged me to keep up what I loved and that the customers would understand I’m the genuine thing!”

Gabriel rolled his eyes as he sighed. “She was a blind optimist for her students, Jesse. Cowboys do not evoke the right kind of image for customers when they’re ingredient shopping. How you managed to run a successful store since our junior year of college is beyond me.”

Jesse was grinning ear from ear as he leaned on Gabe’s shoulder and placed his chin on his head. “Cause I’m an entrepreneur at heart, Gabe. I definitely failed a lot of thing in my life but my way with words and ingredient collectin’ is top notch. Not even dressin’ as a cowboy keeps the fine magical folk away when they see this pleasant smile.”

It was the honest truth that came from Jesse’s lips that he always had a flair for knocking out people’s expectations of him the moment he smiled and opened his mouth, assuming that stupid shit didn’t flow out of it, of course. But that was what everyone loves about McCree and his ability to empathize with even the most hard ass of them all. He was a damn good salesman and an amazing shot with his Peace Maker if someone ever tried to rob him or his friends.

“So, ya need help with any of yer potions or need somethin’ collected, Gabe? I’d rather make myself useful here than just lay around an’ eat ya out of house an’ home.” Jesse chuckled.

Gabriel looked over at Wrinkles and Wrinkles looked back at him before the cat jumped off the table and ran over to the other side of the house where Gabe kept his personal library. The ginger came back with a thick textbook hovering over it as it moved and sat down in front of McCree as he waited for Jesse to take the book. Jesse did as expected and his smile fell sharply to an offended scowl as he glared at Gabriel’s back.

“Potions 101, Gabe?! Seriously?!” Jesse hollered as he slapped the cover with the back of his hand for emphasis. Wrinkles hopped back up on the table as Gabriel continued to sort through his back log, fill in his spreadsheet with orders and his calendar with appointments.

“This isn’t a joke, Jesse. This is people’s lives and my reputation on the line by letting you assist me in the lab. I don’t need you to read the entire thing again but I want you to brush up on the basics and I happened to mark everything I found important in it with sticky note tabs.”

Jesse looked down at the textbook with a frown and flipped it open to go through a few pages. “There’s a tab and several highlighted lines every other page, Gabe.”

“You should know my study methods like the back of your hands, Jesse. What does purple highlights stand for?” Gabriel asked without even turning around.

“Erm, ‘worth lookin’ into on own time’ or maybe ‘independently research this’?”

“Correct. That was the hardest color for anyone else to remember when they borrowed my books and notes. You remember more than you think you do, Jesse.”

Jesse smiled fondly at that. “Ya really think so, Gabe?”

“I didn’t tutor you just for you to forget this shit ten years later, Jesse. Wrinkles will show you where my library is. Everything you need or need to cross reference is in there.”

Wrinkles hopped down from the table and rubbed himself against Jesse’s leg affectionately, giving him a tail hug while he was at it, before trotting off with the smiling cowboy following after him. Gabriel waited until the door to his library closed before he let out a sigh from the internal conflict he was having before scrolling up in his emails to find the one sent from Jack.

‘To Jack:

Subject: Re: This just happened to me when I got back to England

Jesse McCree is staying over at my house for who-knows-how-long too. My situation at least won’t attract the deportation hounds like yours will. They’re both idiots who need to think about the stress they put on others by doing impulsive shit like this. McCree is already trying to work his way into being my assistant like he did in college and I don’t have the heart to say no to him, Jack. I’m so fucked. My dignity as a person is so fucked. Why can’t he ever let me go and just settle for what he has?

Gabe’

\--

The next few days were actually pretty normal, even without the tension between the two men. Jesse actually enjoyed studying in the library with Wrinkles, from what his familiar reported back to him and the cowboy was also practicing potion making with the beginner’s kit he found in the room. Leave it to Jesse McCree to find shit that even Gabriel didn’t know he stored away in his many rooms. Gabriel meticulously spent ages casting fire-proofing spells about his home so he didn’t have to worry about McCree setting his library on fire like he did to his desk in their freshman year. 

Gabriel spent the majority of the time working on his backlog from the week-long convention and dealt with the occasional drop-in that occured from time to time. The evening settling into Jesse making them dinner while they watch TV at the kitchen table. It was relaxing to have someone helping out around the house with tasks that Wrinkles could not perform by himself like airing out mattresses and linens, a task Gabriel had been putting off for quite a while now. It was like high school and college again when Jesse was his roommate.

The doorbell rang as Jesse was carrying a few books Gabriel needed from the library and set them down on the staircase by the door to answer it. “‘Ello!” Jesse greeted a cloaked vampire that Gabe had been expecting to drop by. “Can I help ya with anything, Sir?” 

“Yes! I am here to pick up my pain tonics from Gabriel. Is he in by any chance?” The old vampire asked politely.

“Mister Sorard. Nice to see you walking about on this lovely day.” Gabriel smiled as Jesse moved aside while Gabriel motioned to the overcast weather they were having today. The vampire smiled with his wrinkled cheeks and held out his hand to Gabriel with a small sack filled with four gold coins.

“It’s about time you picked up an apprentice, Gabriel. Having a familiar is all and well but it’s nice to see you having companionship.” He chuckled in amusement as Gabriel swapped the sack for his equally small hexed-sack filled with potions for the vampire.

“Not an apprentice but a friend from my childhood, Sir.” Gabriel gently clarified as he tucked the sack of coins into his button up’s breast pocket. “We’re the same age.”

This made the vampire smile more fondly as he tucked away the potions into his leather bag on his side. “Ah. Well, he is welcome to come forage in my neck of the woods as well, Gabriel. Enjoy your stay in our little woods, Sorcerer.” He bowed his head politely to Jesse and Jesse quickly did the same in return to show the old vampire respect.

Gabriel said his farewells to one of his oldest clients in the area and closed the door. Jesse scooped up his books from the stairs and both of them started walking back over to the laboratory. 

“Nice! I didn’t know ya had a Count as a backer, Gabe. Ya said he was old but he’s probably older than the state’s constitution!” Jesse chuckled in amusement. “Ya don’t actually go foraging on his mansion's grounds do ya?”

“He doesn’t live in a mansion. Just an old cabin he built by himself with his family a long time ago.” Gabriel remarked. “And, yes, I do go over and trade with him but definitely not foraging anywhere within a mile of his property. Got to be careful with these old bloods out here.”

Jesse set the books down on the table next to Gabriel’s chair and pulled up his own stool to sit down on as Gabriel went to put the money away somewhere in the house. Gabriel came back with Wrinkles in tow behind him as he pulled up his chair and sat down, the ginger jumping into his lap to curl up while Gabe stroked his fur. “So, what ya need me to look up today?” Jesse asked curiously as he flipped open the books.

“We’re doing a clarity potion today.” Gabriel spoke as he took one of the books off the pile and started flipping through it. “We need to find out what the ingredients are and what the side effects they can cause alone or together.”

Jesse rubbed the back of his neck at that and was about to get up to grab a pen and paper from the guest room before Wrinkles set it down in front of him with a proud look on his face. He chuckled fondly at the cat’s ability to predict his needs after only a few days and gently scritched his cheeks. “Wrinkies has got to be the best familiar I ever seen, Gabe. How did you teach a non-magical cat to cast spells and such?”

Gabriel smirked as he continued to flip through his book. “If you took History of Familiars in your senior year with me and Jack then you would have gotten an ideal on how the process goes about.”

“Running a popular store was a lot for me at that time, Gabe. Don’t sass me.”

“I know. We’re proud of your success, Jesse, even if it meant you had less time to hang out with us. Anyways, to make a native mundy animal into a familiar it usually involves the animal having a high mental aptitude and how long it is around magical effects or items; Spells also count since they give off residual properties. Since we had Wrinkles in our dorm since he was a few weeks old, he had a lot of exposure to magic already so I merely did the last steps under the guidance of our Familiar studies professor after graduation. Wrinkles survived the implantation of magic circuits and he uses my own mana to cast spells when I need something done. Certification took longer though since he was a mundy cat.” Gabriel explained before pausing on a page and taking notes on his laptop.

“That’s pretty cool! I knew Wrinkles was a genius.” Jesse smiled as he affectionately ran a finger from the bridge of the ginger’s noise to the back of his neck. The cat was practically melting under Jesse’s affections and it drew a small smile from Gabriel.

“Alright, Jesse. Let’s get back to work. We got a long day ahead of to catch up on this backorder.”

“Loud and clear, Gabe!” Jesse chuckled.

\--

Two weeks past since Jesse came to stay with Gabriel and he knew he truly was fucked. Having Jesse around him all the time, even if they didn’t interact intimately, was ripping down the walls Gabriel built around himself to keep Jesse from doing dumb things that would threaten their friendship status. He was so used to having the cowboy around and sleeping in the room next to him that he knew how boned he would be if and when Jesse decided to return back to Hanzo. Jesse was so in tune for his needs in any particular situation that even Wrinkles fell back into step with his older master and they would often cover for each other.

It was after dinner when they were watching TV together on the couch that Gabriel bumped his hand experimentally against Jesse’s. His heart was racing in the darkened room and he did his best to keep his eyes focused on the screen when Jesse curiously looked over at him for a moment. The cowboy casually slipped his hand into Gabriel’s like it was the most natural thing and weaved his fingers between them so their palms touched. Gabriel quietly folded his fingers down to hold Jesse’s own in the space between their bodies and they continued to watch the show like nothing was even wrong between them.

When the show was over Jesse pulled his hand from Gabriel’s and reached for the remote on the coffee table to turn it to some nature program before turning the volume down. He set the remote back down and gently took Gabriel’s hand into his own, running his fingers over the palm to explore it even though both of their eyes were on the TV. 

“Is it wrong that I love you, Gabe?”

“You’re married, Jesse.” Gabriel repeated, his own voice lacking conviction this time compared to when they were at the convention center.

“Only cause you didn’t say anything.” Jesse spoke softly. “We would probably be in England with Jack if you hadn’t ran from me when I confessed.”

Gabriel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I know.”  
“I don’t want to make the same mistakes again, Gabe. I ain’t going to let you run when this is what we both want.” 

“Even if it means hurting Hanzo and ending what you have?” Gabriel looked at Jesse and saw him still playing with his hand, still lost and conflicted with everything like he was himself. To chastise Jesse again and say what he thinks Jesse should think would be a very hard blow to their relationship, especially when Jesse was just as competent as he was in any task he put his mind to. The cowboy wasn’t a flimsy puppy that just gravitated to anyone who was just nice to him like before. “Jesse, If you end up breaking it off with Hanzo, I want to know that it’s one hundred percent what you want and not because everyone else always says that we look good together. You understand?”

“I do. That’s what made me follow ya back here in the first place. I wanted to see how ya lived and if there was still a place by yer side for me to fill in.” Jesse looked up at him. “Ya want me here just as badly as I want to be here, Gabe. Ya ain’t even tried considerin’ most people like ya have an assistant or two and yer orders continue to pile up. A man like ya always accounts for what he can and cannot do alone but ya kept everyone else out. My spot has always been reserved for me here, Gabe.”

“It was still wrong of me to let you come here, Jesse. To tear you away from your relationship and even let you indulge in your temptation.”

“Ya always kept me in yer heart, Gabe. I always kept my distance since I thought ya weren’t interested in me since college and that whole mess. I love Hanzo with all my heart or at least I tried to and he fuckin’ understood this whole time without chastisin’ me or chasing ya off. He gave me his one hundred percent and I was a lying sonova bitch who conned him!” Jesse sobbed as he released Gabriel’s hands and cried his heart out into his hands. “He just fuckin’ let me have his heart knowin’ I would one day toss it aside like he never meant anythin’ to me and it hurts, Gabe! I hurt him and I’ll continue to do it since I sure as hell can’t get over how much ya mean to me!”

Gabriel took his handkerchief out and handed it to Jesse, scooting closer to him on the couch after he took it and wrapped an arm around to hold his shoulder while he cried. Jesse blew his nose hard into the cloth as he continued crying, Gabriel holding out on his own feelings so Jesse wouldn’t feel conflicted when speaking to him honestly.

“Then there’s you, Gabe! Ya act like know what’s best fer me like you’re an older and more experienced brother who understand what I’m goin’ through! I tried so hard for years to just see you as that and not think our relationship was anything special! I was just jokin’ around about the love potion in college and you actually went and made one! Then you tried to laugh it off when I catch you hiding it behind your back and flat out tried to destroy it when you put your goddamn feelins’ into it! You knew perfectly well what you were trying to say by makin’ that potion after our professor said it only confirms mutually held feelings, you dumbfuck!” Jesse yelled as he looked at Gabriel with tears streaming down his cheeks and eyes puffy from crying. “You WANTED to know how I fucking felt for you and I don’t fuckin’ regret almost getting us both kicked out for drinkin’ it cause I know you’re the goddamn potion making master of our class! Even if I didn’t drink it I would have told you my feelings but I wanted you to actually believe what I was sayin’ rather than brushin’ me off like it couldn’t be true! But ya STILL ran like a fuckin’ coward from me and yer feelins!”

Jesse wrapped his arms around Gabriel and held him tightly as even Gabe was starting to come apart from all of that. 

“I fuckin’ love you, Gabriel Goddamn Reyes! Ya ain’t ever been a brother to me! I just want ya to be honest with me and say what ya really feel rather than cut yerself up with guilt for havin’ feelins for me!”

Gabriel couldn't say anything that wouldn't sound like him berating Jesse’s feelings so he just pushed pushed Jesse back so he could look at his ugly sobbing face and lean in to kiss his lips gently. Jesse, being the affectionate fool he was, wrapped his arms around Gabe’s neck to deepen the kiss between them but Gabriel did not indulge him. The cowboy pulled away from him, frustrated in many ways now as Gabriel shook his head.

“I'm a hypocrite, Jesse, but I want you to put whatever we are aside for now and go have an honest heart-to-heart with Hanzo about all of this. Be the responsible one for the both of us and see if you can’t salvage your relationship with him. Jack sent him home from England so you two should have that talk now. I won’t, in good conscious, bring you into my life when you already have someone in yours.”

Jesse nodded his head and blew into the cloth again before wiping his face with the remaining clean portion. “Ya always have a way of lookin’ out for me.” He chuckled sheepishly before watching Gabriel pull out a ticket from his back pocket and handing it to him without looking at him.

“Your plane leaves in the morning. We should get some sleep.” Gabriel spoke as Jesse took the ticket out of his hand and left the cowboy in the living room to cry again as he went upstairs to vent in the privacy of his own room.

\--

Counseling. Hanzo and Jesse were going to try to marriage counseling and as happy as he should be for them, Gabriel never felt more alone in his life. He buried his face into his pillow as he shut off his alarm and went back to sleep, feeling too much like shit to get up as early as he usually did to go for a walk in the morning. Today would be the third day he sent Jesse back to Hanzo and the void of not having him around was almost as painful when they graduated from college.

Except Jesse fully knew how well Gabriel cherished him this time.

He shouldn't be jealous. It was an ugly emotion that helped no one, especially himself, but now all he could think about was replaying that last evening they had together except he tore up the ticket rather than handing it to Jesse. It had to be the final straw for Jesse for him to try to reach him one last time and Gabriel gave him a ticket home.   
Fuck! Why was he such an asshole?!

A marriage counselor was going to tell JESSE to go cold turkey on him and it would be exactly what a dick like him deserved! He wasn't going to be able to hear from Jesse again, that was the reality of the situation and Gabe was all cried out after day one. Gabe only heard about the counciling thing from Jack, that’s how determined Jesse was to get back him for all the shit he had done to him by dedicating himself to a happy marriage like he should. 

Maybe Gabe wasn't out of tears to cry as he originally thought…

It took Gabe three more weeks of moping before he finally decided to put out a job ad for a business partner after he realized McCree really was done with him. He offered the position to Jack just out of courtesy for his friend before he politely reject it and they actually got to work on on figuring out the kind of person Gabe needed for his practice. Gabriel had high standards due to how lucrative his business was in the American Northeast and he could afford some of the best of the best, Jack included. He sent out the job posting for just mainland America so he wouldn't have to pay for expensive plane tickets and conduct interviews.

He spent one week doing interviews with recommendations from Jack, mostly old classmates he stayed in contact with, but none of them seemed to match the personality type Gabe was looking for even though they were well qualified. After shifting through Jack’s pile, Gabe sent out the job to the Internet and local listings to see if he could get some hits.

After shifting through the emails for a week and a couple of failed interviews he received an application that looked promising. A well-crafted cover letter that showed a charming personality while also being knowledgeable about chemistry and potion crafting. He also went to the same school as he did in college so that might be worth pursuing the applicant. Gabriel tensed up as he saw the name of the applicant and immediately replied saying he wanted an in-person interview, paying for the next day plane ticket as well.

Jesse McCree was wearing his stupid plaid shirt and cowboy boots plus his hat as he caught sight of Gabriel when coming down the escalator to the pick up area. He moved off to the side for courtesy of other fliers and dropped his packed duffle bag and the huge suitcase he was wheeling behind him so Gabriel could embrace him; and embrace him Gabriel did. Jesse was smiling from the out pour of joy and love Gabriel expressed in holding him that he almost had to double check to make sure it really was Gabriel Reyes.

“Does this mean I get the job?” 

“Shut the fuck up, Jesse McCree.” Gabriel chuckled as he held him even tighter. “I thought I wouldn't see you again.” He confessed. 

Jesse frowned at that for a moment before looking at him with a small smile. “Can we talk about this in the car, Gabe? Maybe grab a bite to eat?”

Gabriel released Jesse and took the handle of his suitcase as he nodded his head. “Sure.” Jesse picked up his duffle bag and they headed out to the parking lot together.

They loaded up the luggage into the back seat of Gabe's car before they took off on the hour-long drive back to his cottage, assuming Jesse wanted to grab fast food along the way. Gabriel pulled out of the airport parking lot and they made their way onto the interstate with no issues, country music playing quietly from the speakers as Jesse dozed off. Maybe Jesse always just always got drowsy in cars but he was a bit disappointed that he didn't want to talk like he said he would. Damn jet lag.

Fifteen minutes passed until Gabriel found a decent fast food chain and pulled off the highway to drive down to the ‘down and out burger’ joint. Jesse was still conked out good so Gabriel used the time to refill his gas tank at the gas station before driving the car over to get into the queue. Like magic, McCree rose from his eternal slumber the moment Gabriel rolled the window down.

“I smell burgers.”

“Very good, Jesse. You passed the first part of your interview.” Gabriel spoke sarcastically as the cowboy pulled his seat back into the upright position and fixed his hat so he could see the menu after leaning forward.

“Ooo! Down and Outs, eh?” Jesse grinned as he rubbed his hands together. “Wait. Who’s paying? We splitting the bill?” He suddenly, making Gabe raise his brow at that. Jesse McCree was never the type to ask that question, not since he opened his own store in college.

“I’m paying, Jesse. Pick what you want when we pull up.” 

“Nice! Been awhile since I got some good grub.” Jesse sighed happily.

“What? Did Hanzo stop cooking for you at home, Jesse?” Gabriel chuckled as he pulled up to the order kiosk.

“Hanzo and I got divorced a month and a half ago, Gabe.”

Gabriel slammed down on his brakes before looking at Jesse like he just grew another nose on his face. “You did fucking WHAT?!”

“Jesus Christ, Gabe! Don't slam yer breaks like that!”

“Jesse McCree, I thought you were in marriage counseling!”

“We were but it didn't help, Gabe! Hanzo took the store and sold it while I sold off the house! Why else did I answer your job posting?!”

“I thought you-!”

“That was mostly it and I also really needed a new job, alright?!” Jesse groaned as he sighed.

“Um. Your order please, sir?” The kiosk bot asked and Gabriel brought a palm to his face.

“Sorry. I’ll take a number five combo. What about you, Jesse?”

“I’ll take a number ten and four combo. Thanks.” Jesse huffed in annoyance.

Gabriel pursed his lips together and swiped his credit chit over the scanner at the kiosk and paid before the bot directed them to park in slot number four to wait for their meal. Gabe pulled the car into the slot and put the car in park as they both sat in uncomfortable silence between them.

“That store was like a literal child to you, Jesse, and you let him have it?” Gabriel asked as gently as he could but the idea was unfathomable to him. 

“I was in need of a career change anyways, Gabe. Sure, it hurts to see it go but Hanzo wouldn't sell it to some dick. We didn't part on bad terms at the very least.” Jesse spoke as he fiddles with the brim of his hat, not making eye contact with Gabriel. 

“You really want to work your way up from an apprenticeship to be my business partner, huh?” 

Jesse looked at Gabriel with a smirk. “So long as ya don't mind payin’ me that salary in the job listin’ then I won’t mind ya callin’ me an ‘apprentice’.” He did the air quotations to draw a chuckle out of Gabriel. “Nah. Just let me stay at yer place and I’ll accept what yer willin’ to pay me or I’ll just start something on the side again like I did in college.”

“What do you want to pursue on the side?”

“Ward makin’. Always wanted to dabble in makin’ trinkets like that since I read about it in your library. Might be fun to carve some wood while helpin’ ya out.” He smiled.

“How many wooden cacti am I going to have around the house, Jesse McCree?” Gabriel smirked before Jesse lightly punched him in the shoulder.

“Half of them will be owls. It’s a partnership, right? You and me?” 

Gabriel smiled warmly as he looked at Jesse. “I would love that.”


End file.
